Serena's Challenge
by pikaree1
Summary: Ash and the gang are in Anistar City, and Serena decides to participate in a competition. There, she participates in a competition! But there is a dark force at play, and it is in the form of one of the competitors! Serena finds herself caught up in an ancient feud, and as the fight for Ash begins, she discovers her own strength!
1. Chapter 1

**Petal: So- I've got another story.**

**Thundra: Another? You do this often?**

**Petal: Somewhat. This time, it's amourshipping.**

**Thundra: Amourshipping? You ship Ashy-boy and Sere?**

**Petal: Yup. But I'm still keeping Pokeshipping as a backup plan in case something happens. Until then, though, it's amourshipping ho! I don't own Pokemon or Ash and Serena would be a couple by now! This weird story was inspired by a dream I had one early October night!**

"We made it!" Bonnie cheered. "Anistar City!"

Ash grinned. "Okay, gym time!"

"Ash, wait!" Serena interrupted. "We've been walking for hours. Shouldn't we eat first?"

"But-" -GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRROOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWL!- "-to the nearest Pokemon Center!"

Clemont sweatdropped. "I sometimes wonder if he was always like this."

At the Pokemon Center, Ash started scarfing everything down (A/N: *sweatdrops* He's like one of those hares from the Redwall series! The bally chaps are professional scoffers, wot wot?) while Bonnie, his little protege, followed his example. Clemont sweatdropped again. "Just where do they put it all?"

Serena, in the meantime, was talking to Nurse Joy. "May I use the kitchen? I need to bake some Poke Puffs and macarons. Also, there's a tea and waffles recipe I want to try."

Nurse Joy nodded. "Of course. You're practicing for the competition, right?"

Serena looked confused. "Competition?"

Joy handed her a pamphlet. "I guess you didn't come here to compete, but you might want to after reading this. Look it over while those pastries are baking, okay?"

Serena nodded uncertainly and headed off to the kitchen.

Ten minutes later, she was scanning the pamphlet while the macarons were in the oven.

_Anira Star's Competition for Girls_

_Welcome to Anistar City's newest attraction, the first annual Anira Star's Competition for Girls! This event, held in the city's newly built battle arena/contest hall next to the Pokemon Center, is a contest for girls worldwide, testing their skills- cooking, cleaning, baking, battling, and the optional contest appeal! If you want to show that you're the best around, you've come to the right place! All of this is to prove what you can do, so don't waste this chance! Use it and compete!_

_And yes, you'll be on television._

_-Anira & Olympia Star, Heads of Competition_

_-Fantina DeSpectre, Guest Judge_

_BEEEEP!_

Serena looked up. "Guess the macarons are done..." She took them out of the oven and let them cool a little before storing them in a small basket. "Hopefully, Chespin won't eat them all this time," she murmured before going back to the table.

* * *

><p>"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?! THE GYM'S <em>CLOSED?!"<em>

A psychic nodded. "Yes, we're sorry, but Olympia is currently out."

"This is just like when I needed to battle Fantina," Ash moped.

"May I ask why she's out and where she is?" Clemont coughed.

"At the Girls' Competition her sister is holding," the psychic answered.

Serena blinked. "You mean the one where girls' skills are tested?"

Ash turned to face her. "Serena, you know where Olympia is?!"

"Well... She's probably in that sparkly purple building next to the Pokemon Center..." she answered uncomfortably.

"Great!" Ash cheered. "Lead us there!"

"Please?" Bonnie added.

Serena sighed, smiled, and did as they asked. When they reached their destination and asked to speak to Olympia, however, the security guard shook his head. "Sorry, kids, but the only people who can enter are the contestants and the people cheering them on."

Just as Ash drooped sadly, Serena stepped forward. "I'll compete," she stated. "Where do I sign up?" The guard smiled and told them to go inside and fill out a form at the main desk.

The group entered the building and headed for the main desk. However, a shadow watched them from behind a potted plant, a blush rising across its face as it saw Ash.

"Excuse me, ma'am, I'd like to sign up for the competition," Serena said to the purple-haired woman at the desk.

The woman smiled. "Why of course, ma cherie! Here eez zee form! Zee pens are over zhere!"

Serena went to the table with pens and saw a blonde, ponytailed girl wearing camo print jeans and a white t-shirt, a camo print jacket tied around her waist and bulky black boots on her feet. "Thundra?" she gasped, recognizing the style.

The girl turned around and smiled. "Yo, Sere!" she called. "It's nice to see you again!" She moved aside and let the other girl grab a pen. "Haven't seen you since summer camp! Been in touch with Ashy-boy? C'mon, Sere, I know you like him! What pokemon d'ya have? I've got a Raichu and a Jolteon!"

"It's nice to see you, too. I'm traveling with Ash right now, actually. Please stop saying that I like him; it's true, but it's embarrassing when people shout out who you have a crush on. I've got a Braixen, a Litwick, and a Sylveon. Hey, did I fill this out right?" She showed her old friend the application.

_Name: Serena Yvonne_

_Age: 11_

_Pokemon: Braixen (Braixen: female), Litwick (Litwick: male), Sylveon (Sylveon: female), Fletchinder (Fletchinder: female), Pancham (female)_

_Occupation: Sky Trainer_

_Reason for Entering: I want to see how I measure up against others._

_Favorite Food: Macarons_

Thundra inspected the sheet. "Depends. Did I fill mine out right?"

_Name: Thundra Surge_

_Age: 14_

_Pokemon: Ryder (Raichu: male), Zap-dude (Jolteon: male), Sparky (Emolga: female), Jerry (Joltik)_

_Occupation: Apprentice Vermillion Gym Leader_

_Reason for Entering: Pop made me. He wanted to show the rest of Vermillion that I could be girly when I had to._

_Favorite Food: If it's steak, waffles, or ramen, I'll eat it._

Thundra looked over Serena's paper once more and smirked. "Hey, Sere, you sure that's why you're here? You don't wanna impress Ashy-boy or anythin', do ya?"

Just as Serena opened her mouth to respond, the older girl saw Ash and her eyes lit up. "YOOOOOOO! ASHY-BOOOOOOOOOY!" she hollered, racing over to him and putting him in a headlock. "Missed me?"

"You? Sorta. The headlocks? No," Ash wheezed as he struggled to take in air. "Lemme go, Thundra!"

"No way!" she cackled gleefully. "It's been far too long since I last put you in a headlock!"

Just then, Ash noticed a head of navy hair bobbing along with a head of brown hair. He called out to them, "May! Dawn! Nice to see you two again!"

The two girls turned and smiled. "Hey, Ash!" they greeted. "It's been a while!"

He nodded- well, tried to, anyway. Thundra had him in a headlock, remember? "Yup! Say, where are Iris and Misty? They live for events like these!"

"Misty's busy at the Cerulean Gym," May began.

"-and Iris is training under Lance the Pokemon G-man!" Dawn finished before giggling. "I think she has a crush on him."

"No! Not on _Fabulance!"_ a female voice shrieked in horror. "Fabulance is _my_ Fabulance!"

"Marina, I think you're weirding them out," said an extremely weirded out boy's voice. "And you're weirding me out, too, and I'm your best human friend." What'd I tell ya?

"Don't you talk about Marina like that, Jimmy! As long as Fabuvincent is around, no one shall trample her heart!" another male voice argued.

The group turned around and saw a scene so weird that Thundra released Ash from the headlock and Serena dropped her application.

A girl with teal gravity-defying pigtails was clinging to the arm of a weirded out boy in an red hoodie while a boy who looked a lot like a younger version of Professor Elm sobbed in a corner.

"Marina, people are giving us weird looks," Jimmy muttered, blushing. "Stop it."

Marina pouted. "But your hoodie's so _soft!" _she complained. "I'll let go if you give it to me!"

He sighed and pulled it off to the delight of many girls in the room, but the squeals turned to disappointed whines when they saw the black t-shirt underneath. He handed it to Marina, and she squealed and put it on. "Oh, Jimmy, you're such a _gentleman!"_ she praised him. "Thank you so much!"

He sweatdropped, blushed, and looked away. "Whatever." However, he came face to face with a silver-eyed, red-haired boy. "Uh, hey, Silv. How's it going?"

"Hmph. I want a battle, incompetent wretch."

"Paul alert," Ash and Dawn muttered in unison.

"I will not let your incompetent battling style defeat me again, nor will I allow you to use your incompetent catchphrase, 'You rock, you rule.'"

Marina glared at him. "You take that back!" she fumed. "Jimmy's a great battler! And his catchphrase is perfectly fabulous!" (A/N: To all Pokemon Manga readers: Ahem. Ruby alert.)

Vincent started looking more and more heartbroken.

The woman behind the desk coughed. "Your applications, mon amies."

Ash turned around, recognizing the voice. "Fantina!"

Fantina blinked. "Ash? Eez zat you? Oh! You must want to battle Madamosielle Olympia! Sadly, she won't accept challengers until zee event eez over."

Ash slumped down. "Aww..."

"But zee winner gets to choose her next challenger!"

Ash straightened up and grabbed Serena's shoulders. "Serena," he said, eyes burning, passionate, fiery pools of brown. "**YOU MUST WIN.**"

Serena sweatdropped. "Um... Sure, Ash..."

Then he turned his hopeful eyes to May and Dawn. "Hey, would you...?"

May smirked. "Well, Max has been challenging gyms all over..."

"And Kenny's been complaining that Barry keeps fining him for not telling him where to find a Kalos gym..." Dawn added.

Ash sighed mournfully. "Okay, okay, I get the point." Then he brightened. "But Serena won't let me down! I'm sure she'll do great!" He rushed out of the building and came back a minute later in an old-fashioned kimono and folding fans, Pikachu dressed the same. "Go, Serena, go! Go, Serena, go!" he cheered.

Thundra, May, and Dawn stifled snickers. "You know, Misty _did_ tell me to help Ash find a girlfriend during this trip," May said casually.

Thundra grinned. "Misty, huh? I'll make sure to get Pop to take me to the next Gym Leader conference and talk to her about Ashy-boy and Sere."

The competition was on. Seven girls. Seven dreams. One goal.

_To win!_

**Petal: Done!**

**Thundra: Hm... me, Sere, May, Dawn, Marina, the shadow... Who's number seven?**

**Petal: Jessie, of course! She lives for this stuff!**

**Thundra: Ah. Will I get to put Ashy-boy in more headlocks?**

**Petal: Probably. Treat others the way you want to be treated! Review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Petal: I'm back!**

**Thundra: Yo. You gonna eat those grapes?**

**Petal: ...Have them. I insist. **_**Didn't she just polish off twenty pounds of waffles? I'm starting to understand why she and Ash are friends...**_** I hope you like this chapter! I don't own Pokemon! I am the joint owner of a Pokemon White Version and Pokemon X Version, but that's it!**

_Last time on Serena's Challenge: (say it like DJ Blader during Beyblade Metal Fusion's recap)_

_Serena entered the competition, and she met up with her old friend Thundra as well as three girls named May, Dawn, and Marina. The five of them will compete, each hoping to win. But who is that shadow? And what dumb fake name will Jessie come up with this time?_

The girls had all entered the room where Olympia and Anira would brief them on the competition. "Welcome!" Olympia beamed. She looked ready to make some big important speech thingy, but Anira got straight to the point.

"The competition is not for those uncompetetive. If you're afraid of going against girls who will fight like madwomen, please leave now." Serena tensed but stayed in her seat. "Good, you're all ready. The first round is cooking, then baking, then cleaning. Next is the optional contest appeal. You don't have to do it, but it'll give you extra points. Then, we'll take the top thirty-two contestants and they will move onto the battle stage. The rest of you can a) go home, or b) cheer for the remaining contestants. Any questions?"

"Can you cook or bake anything you wnat to?" Thundra inquired. Anira nodded and the blonde slumped into her seat with relief. The other girls grabbed the rulebook, thanked the hosts, and scrammed. The reason? Olympia was starting to make her speech. Thundra grabbed Dawn, May and Serena and skedaddled.

"Why don't they ever want to listen to my speeches?" Olympia mourned.

"It's because you're too long-winded, sis," Anira said absently, flipping through the applications. "Lia, Tanya, Sora, Yuki, May, Dawn, Laura, Cassie, Giselle, Serena, Thundra, Marina, Solidad, Cassidy, Jessie, Jessiebelle, Ursula, Melody, Brianna, Zoey, Molly, Selena, Bianca, Georgia, Burgundy, Miette, Princess Allie, Princess Salvia... And that's only a fourth of them. We've got a lot of competitors, huh?"

The girls (you know which ones I mean) returned to the group. Thundra resumed headlocking Ash. "Guess what, Ashy-boy? Serena's making macarons for the competition," she smirked.

She was about to say more, but Ash hollered, "I call first dibs!"

Everyone who had ever tasted Serena's macarons slumped to the ground sadly.

May carefully opened her booklet. "Hm... Looks like we'll be assigned rooms we'll be staying in during the competition."

Ash looked absolutely heartbroken. "What? But then what'll I eat?" he wailed, Bonnie and Chespin joining in. "I can't live without Serena's cooking!" Pikachu held up a ketchup bottle, but Ash shook his head sadly. "Sorry, buddy, but it's not the same..."

Serena sweatdropped. "I'm sure they'd let you visit me..."

Ash and Bonnie instantly brightened up. "Food! Food! Food!" they cheered.

The girls said goodbye and wandered off to the rooms whose numbers matched those on their booklets.

Serena slipped into her room and gasped. "You're... um... Marina, right?"

The teal-haired girl looked up and grinned. "In the flesh! Guess we're roomies, huh?" She skipped over to the dark blonde haired girl. "They're posting rooms and roommates in the lobby, so we can visit your friends!"

"Um... Right..." Serena sweatdropped. Why did she always get the weird ones? She was reminded of summer camp when she and Thundra had been assigned to the same cabin.

* * *

><p>May smiled at her roommate. "Hi, Brianna!" she said brightly.<p>

The girl looked up and grinned. "Hi, May," she giggled. "Have you told Mister Drew how you feel yet?"

May flushed red. "I don't have any feelings towards him except irritation!" she snapped.

"Riiiiiiiiiiiight..." Brianna rolled her eyes. "I told him _my_ feelings a few months ago, but he said he was sorry, but he was waiting for someone else. So now I'm a fan of another guy called Brendan Birch!"

"Danny?" May asked, recognizing the name. "He's my cousin!"

"TELL ME ALL ABOUT HIM, MAY!"

"Um... He likes winter, he's a strong trainer, his favorite food is udon..."

* * *

><p>Dawn skipped into her room, excited to meet her roommate. When she opened the door, she saw a younger blonde girl playing with a Teddiursa. "Hello!" Dawn greeted. "I'm Dawn! What's your name?"<p>

The girl looked up and smiled. "I'm Molly Hale!" she responded.

Dawn thought for a moment. "That name sounds familiar," she muttered. "I think Ash mentioned it once when Brock made us do the dishes..."

Molly grinned. "You know Ash and Brock? So do I! They helped save me from the Unknown!"

Dawn smiled and started begging for details. It's just so hard to find a good story these days.

* * *

><p>Thundra's eye twitched. "What are you?" she asked through gritted teeth.<p>

The monstrosity looked up from a magazine. "I'm a girl. Duh," she said, blowing on her fingernails to make the nail polish dry quicker. "The names Melody. I'm from the Orange Islands. Who're you?"

A vein pulsed on Thundra's forehead. "Thundra Surge. If I may ask- why is there a picture of Ashy-boy on the wall?"

"Oh, I always bring that with me. After I heard that Misty didn't have a crush on him anymore, I decided to offer him my exclusive matchmaking services. Sure, I did it without asking him, but it's the thought that counts, right? Hey, do you like Ash?"

Another vein joined its brother. "You're wasting your time. He's too dense. I've been trying to set him up with Sere ever since I was eight and met them at Oak's summer camp."

Melody grinned and tossed aside her girly stuff, pulling a military-style battle plan from her pocket. "Excellent. Let's join forces, shall we?"

* * *

><p>Jessie and her roommate stared at each other. "You..."<p>

"You..."

"You look like me!" they shouted in unison.

Jessie frowned. "Wait a... AHA!"

Her roommate looked startled. "What?"

"You're Jessiebelle!" Jessie announced. "James's fiancee! The one who keeps chasing him all over!"

Jessiebelle glared at her look-a-like. "You know where he is? Tell me!"

Jessie shrugged. "He'll be at the arena to watch the matches, so don't worry. You'll see him soon enough." As soon as Jessiebelle had her back turned, Jessie scribbled a note and handed it to a certain Inkay. "Take this to James and warn him! He's so pathetic he won't be able to live through this without knowing beforehand!" she hissed. "Go!"

* * *

><p>Serena sweatdropped as Marina continued to talk about Jimmy. "...and he's chivalrous and handsome and cool and strong and... Oh! How rude of me! I haven't given you the chance to talk about your boyfriend! Go on, talk! His name is Ash, right?"<p>

Serena blushed. "He's not my boyfriend..."

Marina pouted. "But you look like a couple! And I saw the breakdown he had when he heard you wouldn't be around him for a while!"

"That's just 'cause he likes my cooking!" Serena stammered.

"Uh-huh..." Marina muttered with a skeptical expression.

"It's _true!"_

**Petal: Another useless chapter by me.**

**Thundra: So it **_**was**_** a filler...**

**Petal: Sadly, yes. Hopefully, I'll start the competition tomorrow.**

**Thundra: You never said who the shadow was.**

**Petal: Hm? Oh, the shadow's Miette. Any other questions?**

**Thundra: Yeah. Are any of the people reading your story gonna review?**

**Petal: I... don't know...**


	3. Chapter 3

**Petal: I'm back with my third update!**

**Thundra: Yay.**

**Petal: And I've made an adjustments to the previous chapters! Serena has a Pancham, a Fletchinder- it used to be her mom's Fletchling- and there's a contestant named Selena! Plus, Thundra has a Joltik named Jerry!**

**Thundra: Yawn. Pointless.**

**Petal: T^T You're mean... I don't own Pokemon...**

Serena was in the middle of a detailed explanation of how to make macarons taste like heaven when a knock was heard. "Come in; it's open," she called.

The door creaked open and she saw Ash. "Oh... Hi, Ash," she said, blushing slightly. "I assume you came here for breakfast?"

He grinned and nodded energetically. "Yup! Bonnie's right down the hall talking to Thundra, but she'll be here soon enough! Got anything to eat?"

She smiled and pulled a stack of fresh waffles seemingly from out of nowhere. "I had it ready made," she said cheerfully. "Now, remember to drink some milk with it, and the syrup's in the mini fridge."

While Ash searched the small refrigerator, Marina smiled impishly. "You act like a housewife, Serena. You knew exactly when he would come!" she exclaimed.

Serena opened her mouth to respond, but she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned around and saw Thundra standing behind her. "Moumentai, Sere. Moumentai."

Serena sweatdropped. "You're on season three of Digimon, I see," she sighed. "If you hurry, there might be some waffles left."

While Ash and Thundra duked it out for the last oran berry waffle, a voice blared through the speakerphone. _"Attention, may I have your attention, s'il vous plait! All contestants, report to zee stage! I repeat, all contestants, report to zee stage!"_

"Gotta go! Don't empty the mini fridge!" Serena called over her shoulder as she dashed out of the room. Ash nodded, but the second she, Thundra and Marina were out of sight, he started eating again. Go figure.

* * *

><p>"Welcome, mon amies!" Fantina announced. "Eet eez time for zee Pokemon Contest to begeen!"<p>

All the girls looked shocked. "Hey! I thought this was a competition that tested our skills at cooking, baking and cleaning!" one shouted.

"Well, it was," Anira said sheepishly, "but the ingredients are behind schedule and the TV people were early, so we've decided to make it an All Girls Pokemon Contest." Most of the girls were fuming by now.

"But everything else stays the same!" Olympia said quickly. "You can still show your skills on television! The whole world is watching you compete!"

Fantina nodded energetically. "Oui, oui! Now let zee contest begin! Contestant un eez Selena Xavier!"

A pale girl with light brownish-blonde hair who looked just like Serena strolled onstage. "Braixen, let's go!" she shouted, calling out the fox-like pokemon. It emerged from its pokeball surrounded by small balls of fire. "Will-o-wisp!" she commanded. "Then Howl!" Braixen obediently performed the moves, creating an eerie picture. Quiet sobs were heard somewhere in the audience. "Finish it up with Psyshock!" When the move was completed, Braixen's performance had thoroughly spooked the audience.

"Excellently done!" Anira explained. "Selena and her Braixen created a spooky performance with Will-O-Wisp and Howl!"

Fantina nodded. "Oui! You could say eez was hauntingly beautiful!"

Olympia was in full agreement. "Indeed! And the Psyshock at the end was impressive!" Selena walked off the stage with a satisfied smirk just as Ash ran over to where Clemont and Bonnie were.

"Sorry I'm late, guys!" he apologized. "I got hungry, and Serena's mini fridge was full to the brim, so I thought it would be okay if I got some..."

Clemont looked shocked. "What?! But you're normally too frightened to take anything from her!"

Ash looked confused. "Me? Afraid of Serena? Clemont, are you feeling okay? Serena's never done anything to me!"

Bonnie tugged on her brother's sleeve. "Methinks this Ash is not our Ash, brother dear!" she exclaimed. "Why, he acts exactly like the couragous, confident Ash we met many moons ago! Besides, do you not recall that we got here by passing through a mirror? It must be him!"

Ash blinked and his brow furrowed. "That sounds familiar... Ah! You're the Clemont and Bonnie I met when the other Ash mistook my Pikachu for his!"

Mirror Clemont nodded. "That is correct although we have changed our names in this world! Now, I am Montgomery! My dearest little sister is Lonnie! And Crybaby Ash is called Al!"

Ash grinned. "Oh, cool!" Then he frowned. "But then where's Ash? I mean Al? And where are the Clemont and Bonnie I travel with?"

Mirror Clemont took out a compass. "The future is now, thanks to magic!" he exclaimed. "This magical compass will now point the way to your friends!" The compass pointed to where the sobs from before had come from.

"Okay, thanks!" Ash cheered as he zipped over to where his friends were.

When he got there, he saw Clemont attempting to console Mirror Ash. "There, there, Ash; I'm sure your friends will find you." Inside, he was panicking.

"Hi, guys! Hi, Ash!" Ash said happily as he walked over to an empty seat next to Mirror Ash.

Mirror Ash looked up and smiled through his tears. "Hello, Ash. Do you know where my friends are?"

Ash smiled and pointed in the direction he had just come. "They're that way!"

Mirror Ash thanked his alternate self and shuffled off in the direction of his traveling companions. In that time, several more girls had gone, and now it was Serena's turn.

"Sylveon, I choose you!" she cried. Sylveon popped out of her pokeball, scattering pink hearts everywhere. "First, use Sunny Day! Misty Terrain, and then Fairy Wind!" Sylveon used her moves, creating what looked like cotton candy clouds and sparkles floating on a light gust of wind, the sun shining brightly above. "Finish it off with Echoed Voice!" Sylveon sang a high note, blasting it to the ceiling with the sound wave which dissipated as the echo faded away.

Anira smiled. "While Selena decided to make her performance scary, Serena decided to make her's cheerful and pretty!"

"I shall take on zee role of Monsieur Sukizo! Magnifique!" Fantina cheered.

Olympia nodded. "Serena and Sylveon seemed to share a sort of bond! Good work!" Trainer and pokemon took a bow before walking off the stage. Another set of wracking sobs was heard from the audience.

Thundra dashed onto the stage, and without missing a beat, she threw her pokeball in midair. "Ten-hut, soldier! Emolga, do your best!" The flying squirrel pokemon flew out of her pokeball with a competitive grin, green lightning flying around her. "Double Team! Agility! Acrobatics! And finish it off with an Electro Ball!" Thundra barked out orders in rapid succession. The many Emolgas performed flips and glides with enhanced speed before gathering in a wide circle and throwing Electro Balls in the middle. It grew together into a giant Electro Ball that hovered in the center of the stage like a ticking bomb. Thundra smirked before saying two words. "Iron tail." The Emolgas targeted the ball with inpokemon speed all at once, all of them disappearing save the original, and the unused attack exploded in a shower of yellow sparks.

Anira dodged a few of the sparks. "An electrifying performance! Thundra commanded her pokemon like a general!"

"Magnifique!" Fantina added.

"Thundra's way of ordering her pokemon certainly bring in results!" Olympia finished.

Thundra nodded, satisfied. "Good work, soldier. Now, back to the barracks! Return!"

Marina skipped onto the stage happily. "C'mon out, Rti Rti!" The Feraligatr popped a few bubbles as he exited his pokeball. "Aqua Jet!" Rti Rti zoomed into the air encased in water. When it was as high as it could go, Marina shouted, "Scary Face, then Ice Punch!" Rti Rti gave the audience a menacing look before punching the air with a frozen fist unleashing a torrent of cold air.

"You rock, you rule!" Jimmy cheered.

"Feraligatr really made the most of its frightening appearance," Anira commented.

"Magnifique!" Fantina chimed in.

"I am in full agreement!" Olympia declared. "Next up is May Maple!"

"Milotic, take the stage!" she shouted. The magnificent water-type, released from the pokeball with music notes dancing around her, stretched herself on the stage. "Aqua Ring, then Safeguard!" Rings of water surrounded Milotic as she produced a glowing green sphere around herself. "Now Water Pulse!" Milotic filled the safeguard sphere with water from the attack. "Release it all!" Milotic dispelled the Safeguard, and the water cascaded down in a light rain.

"A grand show of a top coordinator and her pokemon working together in perfect harmony!" Anira beamed.

Fantina smiled. "Magnifique!"

"Such control over water!" Olympia exclaimed. "Truly a stunning sight!"

May smiled and walked off the stage, but everyone could she how she childishly stuck her tongue out at someone in the audience and mouth 'I told you so'. No prizes for guessing at who.

Dawn sped onto the stage. "Meowstic! Spotlight!" she laughed, tossing the pokeball into the air. The curly-furred cat pokemon leapt into the air in a shower of golden stars. "Use the Shocked Water Combo!" she cheered. Meowstic nodded and used Rain Dance, and then she opened her white ears, releasing her psychic powers. The water droplets were frozen in midair before shooting towards each other and collecting into a giant ball that was unleashed by a Charge Beam. The sparkles, a mixture of yellow and blue, rained down on the audience and judges.

"A classic sparkle performance," Anira said, nodding.

"Magnifique!" Guess who.

"An excellent use of Meowstic's superior psychic powers!" Olympia announced.

Dawn smiled and skipped off the stage.

* * *

><p>"That was amazing!" Marina giggled. "All of you did awesome!"<p>

"Well, I _am_ called the Princess of Hoenn," May admitted with no small amount of pride.

"And let me guess- your prince is Drew," Dawn snickered.

May flushed red. "Wha- I- But- Why- NO! I hate him! He's my rival, that's all! I really have no feelings for him!"

"No feelings for who, May!"

May's face got even redder at the familiar voice. "Oh, leave me alone, Drew! It's none of your business!"

Drew placed his hand on her cheek and turned her to face him. Looking deep in her eyes, he said, "Anyone trying to win my favorite rival's heart is my business. I guess you did good today although you didn't have to act so childishly towards me at the end. I can't wait to see how you do for the rest of this thing." He released her and walked away. "See ya." May sat still, trembling and blushing.

"Oooh!" Marina squealed. "He was sooooooooo coooool!"

"He totally likes you," Dawn said, nodding. "He even left a rose."

May blushed even more as she glanced down at the thornless red rose in her lap. "I-It's for Beautifly!" she sputtered.

Marina frowned. "But you didn't use a Beautifly..."

"Um... it's for Meowstic! He always leaves roses for my pokemon after a performance!"

Marina and Dawn rolled their eyes. Turning to face each other, they mouthed, 'oldest trick in the book!'

May's face was beginning to look an unhealthy shade of purple.

* * *

><p>"Hi."<p>

Selena didn't turn around. "Hey. Are you and your Ash a couple yet?"

Serena sighed. "No. Are you and your Ash a couple yet?"

Selena turned around this time. "No, but soon," she said solemnly. "And call him Al while we're here, okay? It just gets so confusing otherwise."

Serena nodded. "Okay. How'd you get here?"

Mirror Serena shrugged. "Clemont- I mean, Montgomery found a spell that could transfer us here through any mirror. Have you gotten any stronger?"

"Um... A little, but I've decided to become a Sky Trainer," Serena confessed. "I think I've got a talent for it, so that's what I've decided to train for. You?"

"Same. How've things been here?"

"Ash is still obsessed with Pokemon Battles, Clemont still makes inventions that explode, and Bonnie still wants to be a Pokemon Trainer. And how about you?"

"I'm still challenging gyms. Ash- Ugh, I keep messing up. Al is still a crybaby, but he's getting stronger. The encounter with Ash changed him, y'know? Ever since then, Al's tried to hold in his tears, and he's training harder and more often now. He'll actually be able to beat me soon enough." Mirror Serena looked up at the stars. "Sometimes I wonder. They say we're all under the same sky and are all connected, but is that true? We live in different dimensions. Do we still look up at the same stars at night?"

Serena sighed. "I don't know." She looked up as well. "I think we do. Our personalities may be different, but we still have the same goals, the same feelings. We both love the Ashes in our respective worlds, and we both are talented Sky Trainers. So... even if we aren't looking up at the exact same sky, we're watching it in spirit with all our alternate selves." She paused. "How'd we even get on this topic, anyway?"

Mirror Serena shrugged and returned to stargazing. "Who cares? Y'know, I wanna battle your Ash again. I've gotten stronger."

Serena smiled. "I'm sure you have, but so has Ash."

The two girls talked long into the night.

* * *

><p>Melody and Thundra collapsed onto the floor. "Finally finished the battle plans," Thundra panted.<p>

"Yup," Melody gasped. "I can't believe how much effort it took just to figure out how to get through Ash's density."

The two high-fived before conking out.

**Petal: Done!**

**Thundra: Whoopee.**

**Petal: Don't be like that, Thundra!**

**Thundra: Whatever...**

**Petal: Anyway, I put in a fluffy contestshipping moment, and I also added a deep conversation between the two Serenas! If you don't get it, watch episode 37! That should help! Please review! Thanks for reading!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Petal: Time for the next chapter!**

**Thundra: Huh.**

**Petal: Disclaimer, please!**

**Thundra: See that nut-head over there? Well, guess what? She ain't the owner of Pokemon.**

**Petal: ¬.¬ You're mean~ Reviews:**

**To chablaven: Thanks! I was hoping people would like it.**

**To justareadersofar: Phew. Like I said before, I was hoping people would like this story. Half the characters are random, unimportant OCs, but I'll tell you about the important ones (besides the obvious): Molly is from Spell of the Unknown, Marina, Jimmy and Vincent are from Raikou Legend of Thunder, Melody is from The Power of One (I'm pathetic; I actually had to look that up), Giselle is from the episode "The School of Hard Knocks", Solidad debuted in the episode "May, We Harley Drew'd Ya!", Cassidy is a Rocket member who debuted in the episode "The Breeding Center Secret", Jessibelle is James's fiancee (who he fears) who first appeared in the episode "Holy Matrimony!", Ursula is one of Dawn's rivals from the episode "Another One Gabites the Dust!", Brianna had a crush on Drew in the episode "Spontaneous Combusken", Miette is from the episode "A Battle by Any Other Name!" and has a crush on Ash, Princess Allie is from the episode "Awakening the Sleeping Giant!", Princess Salvia is from the episode "Dawn of a Royal Day!", and Thundra is my OC.**

**To 56006: Ha ha! No, they didn't go into Ash's brain, although that would've been funny! I'll write what they do in a later chapter when they put their plan into motion- it'll probably be around the finals/semi-finals.**

**To BetterThanU: So you're back, huh? Thanks for reviewing!**

**To Nemo: I'll try to update as often as possible. I hope that you're right about my story's potential!**

**Petal: Chapter start!**

_Last time on Serena's Challenge:_

_The girls performed for the appeal round, and they each hope to pass the preliminaries! Meanwhile, Serena meets an old acquaintance and has a deep conversation that has absolutely nothing to do with the plot! Melody and Thundra have formulated a plan, but what is it? Give me a few days and I'll think of something._

The girls had all gathered in the lobby. "Oh, I hope we all got in!" Dawn prayed.

"As do I, Dawn."

Dawn turned around and saw a girl that looked almost exactly like her. "Salvia!" she squealed. "It's so nice to see you!"

The two girls began chatting about how they'd been since they last met, and May felt a tap on her shoulder. when she turned around, she saw a woman with coral colored hair. "Solidad!" she exclaimed. Let the talk-fest commence.

Mirror Serena shook her head. "They're popping up everywhere."

Serena sweatdropped. "Oh, c'mon, it's not that bad..."

Soon, a whole group of girls had gathered to see the results, some familiar and some not.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, folks!" Vivian, Lillian, and Marian announced. "Thirty-two skilled girls have passed on to the second round... AND THEY'RE ON SCREEN!"

Dawn, May, and Marina squealed loudly when they saw their and their friends' faces on the screen. "We did it! We did it! We did it!" they crowed.

"Don't get cocky," Mirror Serena snapped. "The hard part starts now."

Gee, Mirror Serena, you're _such_ a fun person.

"Thanks for putting a damper on things," a female voice grumped. The group turned and saw a girl with short blue hair. "I'm gonna win, and then I'm gonna win Ash's heart," she continued snidely before strutting off.

"Ugh," Brianna shuddered before turning to May. _"Please_ tell me I wasn't like that."

"Um... Not really?" May sweatdropped before changing the subject. "Um, I called Brendan, and he said that he'd be here to watch..." That perked up Brianna tenfold and she started giggling.

"Too much lovey-doveyness... I'm gonna puke..." Mirror Serena gagged.

"Got that right," Thundra agreed.

"I think it's cute!" Serena and Melody objected.

Thus a conversation on tolerable levels of lovey-dovey-ness was started.

* * *

><p>Serena was up bright and early- like, six- the next morning. She glanced at her snoring roommate before carefully sneaking out of the room to the Pokemon Center. Once she was there, she set to work baking.<p>

About two hours later, Ash and Bonnie practically floated into the kitchen, following their noses. "Good morning!" Serena said cheerfully. "I made breakfast!"  
>The hungry duo uttered a quick "Thanks!" before demolishing their waffles. Clemont stumbled down soon after and sweatdropped when he saw his sister and his friend eating. "I still wonder where they put it all," he mumbled.<p>

Unbeknownst to the group, a short girl with carroty orange/red hair snuck over and filched some of Ash's waffles. She quickly snuck away, eating on the go. Ash thought it was Bonnie, so he didn't say anything- she was a growing girl, after all.

Dawn dashed into the kitchen. "Serena! Serena!" she called. "Did you hear? Did you hear? Fantina said that all competitors have to dress up like in Sinnoh contests!"  
>Serena choked on her waffle, and Ash pounded her back. "All competitors have to <em>what?"<em> she wheezed.

"Dress up!" Dawn replied cheerfully. "The second round starts at ten! C'mon, we've gotta get you something to wear!" Without giving Serena enough time to prepare, she, May, and Marina dragged her off, presumably to wherever Salvia was and get outfits custom made by the royal seamstress. Ah, the perks of knowing royalty...

"Bye, Serena!" Ash called as he continued to devour his waffles.

"Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaait!" Serena wailed.

* * *

><p>"Oooh! How about this?!"<p>

"Wha-? No! Not yellow!"

"Perhaps something in blue?"

"Or maybe pink!"

Serena sweatdropped at the scene before her. May, Dawn, Marina, and Salvia were arguing over which color to use for her costume. In Serena's opinion, it was rather pointless. What did clothes have to do with battling? Eventually, Dawn won out with pink. "You can't go wrong with pink!" she exclaimed smugly. Then was the actual designing.

"A pop idol outfit!"

"No! A princess!"

"I believe that a ball gown should suffice."

"How 'bout a chef's outfit? She's a good cook, right?"

Serena sighed. "Just give me a pink gown and let's be done with it," she said in frustration.

"You heard her! And make it _beautiful!_ We want our friend here to catch eyes!" Salvia told the seamstress.

The girl grinned happily. "Coming riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight up!" She and the silver-haired man next to her set to work and had the dress ready in five minutes.

The girls blinked. "...Now that's speed."

"Why, of course!" the silver-haired man laughed. "There are only three people in the world capable of creating such a fine dress in such a short time, myself being one of them!"

Salvia smiled. "Thank you, Ayame. You are dismissed."

He and his assistant bowed/curtsied and exited the room. Serena walked into the dressing room and came out wearing the dress. "How do I look?"

The gown was a soft peach pink with a (not ridiculously large) hoop skirt. The sash tying it around the middle was a robin's egg blue, and she wore earrings and a pendant of the same color. The sleeves were short and puffed up, and she had long white gloves. Her hair was held up in a blue ribbon, and she was holding a pink fan edged with the color.

May let out a low whistle. "That Ayame sure knows his stuff."

"Got that right," Dawn agreed.

"Fabulous!" Marina squealed.

"You will certainly catch eyes," Salvia said, nodding to herself. "And hopefully Ash's."  
>Serena blushed. "Hey! Quit it!"<p>

The other girls laughed, took turns in the dressing room, and rushed over to the contest hall. Yup. The girls' competition has been reduced to a girls-only Pokemon Contest. So sue me. Actually, don't.

* * *

><p>"These thirty-two girls will be competing to win the Anistar Ribbon!" Vivian announced. "The first battle is... Jessie versus Sora! Good luck!"<p>

Jessie pranced out in her Jessilina outfit- minus the glasses and pigtails, of course. Dawn gaped in shock and horror. "So all this time I've been battling Jessie?" she gasped.

Kenny patted her shoulder. "There, there, Dawn. At least you didn't lose to her."

Sora, a blue-eyed brunette, confidently strode onto the stage in a blue kimono. "Tranquil, I choose you!" she shouted, tossing her pokeball.

The bird pokemon popped. "Trrrrrrrrrrrranquil!" it warbled.

Jessie smirked. "Pumpkaboo, come out and play!" she called.

Pumpkaboo emerged from its pokeball. "Kaboo!"

"Five minutes on the clock! Gooooooooo!"

"Let's start things off with leech seed," she said gleefully.

Tranquil quickly became entangled by the vines, it's strength draining quickly.

"Um...Quick Attack!" Sora shouted frantically.

"Oopsie," Jessie snickered as the attack passed through Pumpkaboo. "Pumpkaboo's a ghost type, you silly girl."

Sora gritted her teeth and Tranquil braced itself for the next attack.

"Dark pulse!" The move hit Tranquil head on, and the poor pokemon, who had lived its life in a mansion pampered by its trainer's servants, fainted.

"Sora's opponent was so strong!" Sakura whispered to her sister.

"Hopefully, mine won't be so powerful," Yuki gulped.

"Next up is Jessibelle versus Yuki!"

Jessibelle smirked at her opponent, a black-haired girl with gray eyes in a white kimono. "Vileplume, darlin', come on out!" she announced, calling out her pokemon.

"J-Jynx! Do your best!" Yuki stammered.

"Five minutes on the clock! Go!"

"Ice Punch!" she called. Vileplume dodged nimbly.

"Vileplume, use Stun Spore!" Jessibelle commanded. Jynx fell over, paralyzed. "Now Petal Dance." Jynx felt the attacks pummeling it and winced in pain. "Ho hum, let's put the poor dear out of its misery with Solar Beam." Jynx: KO.

"And the winner is Jessibelle!"

In the audience, James shivered in fright. "Don't let her see me, don't let her see me..." he chanted.

"Next is Cassidy versus Sakura!"

Cassidy stormed onto the stage with her Granbull at her side. "When I get to Jessie, I'll pulverize her!" she snarled, grinding her teeth.

"H-Hello," Sakura stammered, her blonde hair sticking straight out in fear and her pink eyes reflecting her emotions. "I hope to have a good battle."

"Yeah, yeah," Cassidy muttered. "Let's get this over with."

"Go! Cherrim!" Sakura shouted. "Um, use Petal Dance!"

"Dodge it, Granbull, and use Fire Fang to get this over with quick!"

Cherrim was out with one hit. "Noooo! Cherrim!" Sakura sobbed. Cassidy scoffed and walked off the stage.

"The final match for today is Bianca versus Filia!"

"Wait, final match for today?" a girl demanded. "I thought this was a Pokemon Contest! Did it get changed again?!"

"Well, Olympia insists on a strict training schedule," Anira coughed. "Because of that, we'll only be having four matches per day. We're very sorry."

'That's lame...' most of the contestants thought.

"Go, Pignite!" Bianca shouted, calling out the pig-like pokemon.

"Dragonite!" shouted Filia, calling out the golden dragon-like pokemon.

"Five minutes on the clock! Go!"

"Dragonite, use ma- I mean, Brick Break!" Filia commanded.

The redhead who stole Ash's breakfast sweatdropped. "Why do I get the feeling that she was gonna tell it to use a mace?" she muttered.

"You can do it, Filia! You're violence can be put to good use this time!" cheered a purple-haired man.

"I will not let that namagomi distract me, I will not let that namagomi distract me..." the blonde chanted under her breath.

"Gah! Pignite!" Bianca shouted in alarm. The pig pokemon had fainted from the abnormally powerful force of the attack.

"And the winner is... FILIA!"

* * *

><p>Dawn sighed. "I can't believe this," she grumped. "And aftger all the effort we put into Serena's outfit, too!"<p>

"Yeah," Marina agreed. "Plus, I was really fired up!"

"I did so much special training, all for naught," Thundra said mournfully.

"Up and at 'em, soldier girl; we've got an AS strategy to plan," Melody snapped.

"Yeah, okay..." Thundra mumbled, following her roommate to where their top secret battle plans were stored. "See ya later, girls..."

Dawn immediately brightened. "Oooh! I have an idea!" She quickly whispered her plot into Salvia and Serena's ears.

"But... But..." Salvia stammered.

"I like it," Serena smiled. "Let's do it!"

May just sat there, confused.

The next morning, she saw Drew asleep on her rug. He was wearing rose printed PJs and was actually drooling. May spotted a camera on her nightstand and used it without a second thought. Brianna, Dawn, Serena, and Brendan spied from the closet. May smiled at the hilarious sight of Drew drooling on her rug. 'He's... actually kind of cute when he's asleep,' she mused before violently shaking her head. 'No! No, what am I thinking?! He's not cute! I hate him! He's my rival! He...! He...!'

Brendan couldn't stand it any more and stepped out of the closet. The girls pressed themselves further behind the boxes. "He's what, May?" he asked in amusement.

May turned and gasped in alarm when she saw him- oh, and for future reference, that was the moment Drew woke up. "B-Brendan!" she stammered. "Um, what do you mean?"

"You were thinking aloud," he answered casually. "Now c'mon, tell me, he's what?"

"N-None of your business!"

He raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Then I suppose you won't mind if I tell your dad that you have a crush on this guy?"

"NO, DON'T!" May screamed. "I prefer my rivals to be alive, thanks!"

"So you _do_ care," Drew said from behind her.

She gasped and turned around, a rant already formed in her mind. "Of course I care! You're my rival! If you're gone, who will I compete against?! And another thing! What are you doing in my room?! Stalker!"

He yawned. "Actually, that's what I'd like to know. One minute I was in the Pokemon Center, the next I wake up here. Kidnapper."

"AAAAAAAAAAARGH!"

"Too funny," Dawn and Brianna snickered. In the midst of all the drama, Serena had snuck out.

She made breakfast as she had the day before, and sighed while it was baking. "Oh, Ash, when will you realize that I like you?" she wondered wistfully.

**Petal: Well, that's that.**

**Thundra: Hey, don't you feel like this is getting farther and farther from the plot?**

**Petal: Sadly, yes. This isn't really turning out as I hoped, and Ash hasn't made many appearances. BetterThanU, feel free to flame me. Also- I admit it. I'm a huge fan of allusions. I enjoy sticking characters from other anime into my stories. The carrot-top, plumhead, and Filia are from the anime "Slayers". Also, I'm bad at writing battle scenes, so I'm sorry. From now on, I think I'll just use the video game format for the battles. Thanks for reading!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Petal: Hey, everyone! I'm baaaaaaaaaaaack! Woot!**

**Thundra: Cool! You finally figured out a plot!**

**Petal: …Thundra, please don't read the little notes I write to myself on my rough drafts.**

**Thundra: Oops… Sorry…**

**Petal: Anyway! On a totally random note, I beat my high score on the Berry Picker game on the Pokemon X Version I share with my brothers!**

**Thundra: Really? Good for you! What'd ya get?**

**Petal: I got a 136!  
><strong>

**Thundra: Is that good?  
><strong>

**Petal: I… don't know…**

**Veeva: I bet it's lame!  
><strong>

**Pichi: Just admit you're trying to brag online.**

**Petal: NEVER!**

**Reviews:**

**56006: Heh… I'll take your words to heart… He'll eat lunch this time… But I'm telling you right now… He always eats offscreen. *Ash walks by munching on a slice of pumpkin pie* See?**

**Petal: Only one review? How sad! Oh well. Thanks for even bothering to do so, 56006! R...**

Serena opened her door and wasn't at all surprised to find Ash and Bonnie waiting outside with an impressive collection of forks and knives. "Here's your waffles!" she said with a cheerfulness no human being should have in the morning, but hey, this is a fanfic.

"Hey, Serena," Ash said between bites, "can you make lunch?"

Serena blinked. "Well… I guess so… But why?"

Ash glanced at his partner. "Pikachu was complaining that no one makes ketchup salad with ketchup dressing like you do," he chuckled.

Before the conversation could continue, Marina burst into the room. "Serena! Serena!" she shouted frantically. "Guess what! Guess what!"

"Um... what?"

"We're getting this show on the road!"

"Huh? Air time already?"

"No, no! Literally! C'mon c'mon c'mon there's a meetiiiiiiiiiiiiing!"

Serena nearly fell over, straightened up, and dashed after her blue-haired roommate. "We'll finish this conversation later, Ash!" she called over her shoulder. "And don't let Bonnie near the kitchen!"

* * *

><p>"Ahem... Anira's decided that this competition doesn't make an exciting enough show," Olympia began. "Because of that, I've entrusted my gym to the care of a friend until we get back from traveling Kalos. First we'll go to Couriway Town, then to Snowbelle City, then Santalune, then Lumiose, Dendemille, and then we'll come back to Anistar for the finals and the award ceremony. What's more, Fantina is convinced that your lives will be full of drama, jealousy and friendship- she's also convinced that or show's ratings will go up. Right, then- any questions?"<p>

The girls kept quiet.

"Good. Report to the front of the building at 12:30 sharp. Dismissed."

Thundra walked over to Serena. "Mind if I tell Ashy-boy?" the blonde asked mischievously.

"Tell him what?" Serena asked suspiciously.

"That we're hitting the road!" the other girl laughed, spotting the very person they were talking about. She rushed over to him and put him in a headlock. "Guess what, Ashy-boy?" she asked cheerfully.

"What?" he wheezed feebly, struggling against her grip.

"This show's goin' on the road! Hope you like running!" she answered, releasing him. "Aaaaaaaaaaaaaand we're traveling by bus!"

Ash looked disappointed. "I don't know if I can keep up with a bus..."

Thundra's jaw dropped. "You're actually planning on following a bus?!" She shook her head. "Know what? Forget it. As your friend Dawn would say, 'No need to worry!' I've got it covered!"

"Huh...?" was all Ash managed to say before a sturdy, middle-aged blonde man in a camo print jacket, camo print jeans, and black boots entered the lobby.

"Thundra!" he bellowed. "What's the meaning of this?! I was in the middle of a training trip!"

Thundra saluted him. "SIR! I'm very sorry, SIR!" she shouted. "But I have to request for you to carpool an Ash Ketchum, a Clemont and Bonnie Miare, an Al Satoshi, a Montgomery and Lonnie Yurika, a Jimmy Hibiki, a Vincent Elm, a Drew Midorirosu, and a Kenny Jun, SIR!"

"Lieutanant Surge?!" Ash sputtered. "What are you doing here?!"

"He's my Pop, idiot!" Thundra said, rolling her eyes. "And he's here to hlep you follow the bus!"

Ash stared first at the minivan parked outside, then at Lt. Surge, and then at Thundra, who looked like she was about to punch his lights out, tie him up, put him in a headlock, and drag him to the car. Just when his observation was about to prove true, it was Serena to the rescue!

"Ash! Pikachu! Lunchtime!" she called.

"G-G-Gotta go!" he stuttered as the Surges gave him a 'this ain't over by a longshot' look.

* * *

><p>After eating a delicious lunch made by Serena (Pikachu was still chowing down on leftover ketchup pie), Ash had reluctantly stepped into the car, but he was careful to take the seat farthest from Lt. Surge and that his seatbelt was good and tight.<p>

It was good judgement on his part.

"You're going too fast!" Ash yelled over the rush of the wind.

"What'dja say?! Speak up!" Surge yelled back.

"I SAID YOU'RE GOING TOO FAST! NOW CLOSE THE WINDOWS SO I CAN TALK NORMALLY!"

"Oh. You shoulda just said so," Surge answered, closing the windows. "And what do you mean, going too fast?"

"I mean we're gonna get a speeding ticket."

"Whatever. Besides, if we don't go this fast, we'll never catch up to them!"

"It's 'cause you took such a long time eating!"

"Hey, I'm a big guy! I need my nutrition!"

"I will not hit my friend's father and get myself hurt... I will not hit my friend's father and get myself hurt..."

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Serena was having a very different experience on the bus.<p>

"Isn't this so exciting, Serena? We get to sit next to each other!" Marina cahttered. "And they'll be filming our daily lives! I'll get into as many catfights and have as many sweet moments with Jimmy as I can!"

Serena sweatdropped. _Why does this show keep changing? _she wondered.

"You better have kept your distance from Ashy!"

Serena looked up, startled, and saw a familiar bluenette glaring balefully from the seat in front of her. "Miette?"

"The future Mrs. Ash Ketchum to you!" the poke puff baker sniffed.

From across the aisle, Thundra and Melody were glaring daggers.

"Enemy sighted," Thundra growleed.

"I don't like that sneaky look on her face," Melody declared. "We'd better keep and eye on her."

"Agreed."

Across the aisle, Miette was trash talking up a storm to Serena. "You're a half-baked baker! A dreamless wimp! A pushover!" Serena sat still and took it, resisting the urge to cry at 'dreamless wimp'. "A dumb blonde!'

That was when a certain blonde- who was by no means dumb- snapped. "Hey!" Thundra roared. "I happen to be a blonde, pastry obsessor!"

"Oh, you wanna fight, sister?! Don't insult pastries!" Miette snapped. "Besides, at least I'm not a tomboy!"

Thundra's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Is that a challenge, girly girl?" she inquired.

"Sure, why not!"

*Kanto battle music*

THUNDRA is challenged by PATTISIERRE MIETTE!

Go! THUNDRA!

THUNDRA used AFTER YOU!

"You take the first shot," Thundra yawned.

MIETTE used TACKLE!

"Yaaaaaaaaaah!" Miette yelled as she charged.

It missed!

"Lame!" Thundra scoffed.

THUNDRA used THUNDER PUNCH!

It was intercepted by SERENA!

Thundra blinked. "What the heck, Serena!" she yelled. "You could've gotten yourself electrocuted!"

Serena shrugged. "I'm wearing rubber gloves. What were you thinking?! Violence never solves anything!"

Thundra backed off with a muttered, "Dumb proverbs..." while the others who were on the bus stared at her in awe and fear, wondering how it was humanly possible for a person to use thunder punch.

"Attention competitors!" Olympia's voice blared over the loudspeakers. "This is your driver speaking! We are stopping for the night! Please exit the bus in a neat and orderly fashion!"

Miette managed to glare at Serena and Thundra before she was caught up in the tidal wave of people exiting the bus.

* * *

><p>When Surge's car finally caught up with the bus, night had fallen.<p>

"'Bout time you got 'em here, Pop!" Thundra complained.

"Insubordination!" Surge barked.

Thundra snapped to attention. "I'm very sorry, SIR! It won't happen again, SIR!"

"Yeah, yeah. Wake me up when it's time to go, okay?" Then Surge flpped into the driver's seat and started snoring.

Thundra sweatdropped. "Pop'll never change."

Ash shuddered. "We need a new driver. A safer, more responsible one."

Serena walked over to him. "Tough ride?" she asked sympathetically.

"You know it," Ash groaned. "I'm seriously starting to consider dressing up as a girl and sneaking onto that bus."

The two were about to continue conversing with each other when Miette came along and practically shoved Serena aside. "Ashy!" she gushed. "It's so good to see you again! Did you miss me?!" (A/N: I know she doesn't actually act like this... But... I don't really like her that much... And... I've got a reason for her acting this way... It has to do with the plot that I finally made...)

He ignored her. "Serena! Are you okay?!"

She rubbed her back. "Yeah, I think so..."

"Ashy!" Miette shouted. "What about me?!"

He turned and gave her a confused look. "Um... who're you again?"

She let out a dramatic gasp. "Ashy! It's me! Your beloved Miette!"

He twitched. "My _what_?!"

It was Serena to the rescue once more! Never mind that no one can make dinner that fast! "Ash! Dinnertime!" shfe called. "Bonnie's starting to eat your share!"

"Bye, Tiemme!" he said quickly before fleeing in a cloud of dust.

"That Serena put a spell on him," Miette muttered. "That witch!"

* * *

><p>Ash hid behind Serena. "That Tiemme or Miette or whatever her name was sure is creepy," he shuddered.<p>

Serena sweatdropped. "I don't know what happened, but hse's glaring up a storm..."

Behind the bushes, Fantina squealed. "Oh! I was right! Zey have given zee camera our first conflict!"

Anira smiled. "You continue filming here; I think something's going on with Jessie and- oops, never mind, Caassidy just stormed off. Wait, there's Jessibelle! And... a Meowth balloon?"

* * *

><p>When Serena curled up in her sleeping bag that night, she wondered if she'd ever work up enough courage to tell Ash how she felt about him.<p>

Melody and Thundra, two tents over, tried to work out some bugs in their plan.

Meanwhile, dense, dense Ash wondered if Serena liked him, but he quickly dismissed the thought, reminding himself that even if she did, he could never let it happen.

With those thoughts in mind, the four of them fell asleep.

**Petal: ...&R! The plot finally thickens...**


	6. Chapter 6

**Petal: Waaaaaaaaaaaah! My mom got rid of Goggles and Anne Chovy! T^T**

**Thundra: Who and who?**

**Petal: Two of my goldfish.**

**Thundra: I thought goldfish were extinct.**

**Petal: Uh, I come from a different universe, remember? And sorry for the late update.**

**Thundra: She doesn't own Pokemon.**

**Reviews:**

**That Random Guy (Guest): I'm glad you like it! I was worried people would complain about me making Miette OOC...**

**56006: ? What do you mean? Serena's not a witch. Um... wait, do you mean you hate Amourshipping? 'Cause if that's the case, please don't read (and then flame) this story...**

The next morning, it was time to set out again. There was one problem, though: the bus had broken down.

"You expect me to walk?!" complained Jessibelle.

Fantina, Anira and Olympia stared at her. "Well... yes," they replied.

"Well, I won't do it!" Jessibelle declared.

"Fine," Olympia said, shrugging, "but that means an automatic win for your next opponent."

"...Well, it's better than a treadmill."

"You know, it might be better to film on the road," Anira mused.

"Very well!" declared Fantina. "Cameramen! Come over here, se il vous plait! We are filming!" The girls hurried over as a crew of Machamps and Conkeldurrs set up the stage.

* * *

><p>"Today's first match is Thundra versus Tanya!" Lillian announced. "Are you ready? Let's get... BUSY!" Ah, how every fan of the Battle Frontier Arc who also loved the contests probably missed this.<p>

"Ryder! C'mon out!" Thundra shouted.

"Geodude! I choose you!" Tanya cried.

Thundra surveyed the opposing pokemon. "Hn. A Geodude. And it's low level, by the looks of it. Let's finish this thing quick. Ryder! Thunderbolt!" The Raichu obliged, effectively frying its opponent.

BEEP BEEP!

"Geodude is unable to battle! The winner is Thundra!" Lillian announced.

"Oh, please. You can't beat me with a low level Geodude. I ain't the next Vermillion Gym Leader fer nuthin'," Thundra scoffed.

"I thought this was a pokemon contest," May muttered, "not a massacre."

"The next match is Marina versus Giselle!"

"Go, Little Pink!" Marina shouted, calling out her Jigglypuff.

"Marowak, I choose you!" Giselle commanded.

Ash blinked. "Her Cubone evolved?"

"Little Pink, use Sing!"

"Marowak, Bonemerang!"

Little Pink did a little hop-skip dance to avoid the flying bone before serenading its opponent. "Jiiiiiiiigglyyyyypuuuuuuuff, jigglyyy-yyy-yyypuuuuff..." Marowak conked out.

Giselle lost points!

Giselle, however, smirked. _She doesn't even notice the bone coming back at her._

Jigglypuff cartwheeled away in victory, easily dodging the bone. It flew straight at Marowak and knocked it out even though it was already asleep.

"Marowak is unable to battle! The winner is Marina!"

"I though these were supposed to be contest battles!" Dawn sobbed.

"The director said she couldn't write battle scenes, let alone 'stylish' ones," Brendan explained. Brianna glared at Dawn in jealousy.

"It's just like Tierno's battle style," Ash muttered as he remembered his failed attempts at dancing that Serena had flat out said wasn't dancing. At least she tried to teach him. But it was a fail.

"The next match is Molly versus Sylphiel! Begin!"

"Go, Flaaffy!" Molly called.

"G-Gourriel, do your best!" Sylphiel stammered.

The carrot-top from before sweatdropped. "I almost can't believe her..."

The blonde man next to her blinked. "Oi, Lina, don't you think that thing's nickname sounds kind of like my name?"

"Gourry, Gourry, Gourry... You're so dense..."

"Flaaffy, Shock Wave!" Molly shouted.

"Gourriel, um, counter it with Ember!" Sylphiel hastily called.

"A Blissey using Ember? You don't see that every day!" Brendan remarked.

Brianna started smoldering. A frightened May tried to calm her down.

The Ember was a bunch of carrot shaped projectiles ("I saw this one coming," Lina groaned.),but somehow it deflected the Shock Wave.

"Argh! Flaaffy, use Wild Charge!" Molly commanded.

Flaaffy surrounded itself with electrical energy and shot forward. Gourriel staggered backwards, reeling from the heavy hit.

Sylphiel gritted her teeth. "Gourriel, this is our last shot! Hyper Beam!"

Molly paled. "Hyper Beam? Oh dear Arceus no... FLAAFFY DODGE IT!"

The blast of energy was too fast and too much for Flaaffy. The poor Pokemon fainted.

Brendan whistled. "Considering how that Ember turned out, that Hyper Beam was impressive!"

"That was just like your Dragon Slave, Lina!" Gourry exclaimed cheerfully.

"No, it was like _Sylphiel's_ Dragon Slave," Lina corrected him. "Why do I have to be the only destructive one?"

"Maybe because, like me, that's what he loves the most about you!" the purple-haired man from before piped up.

"Shut it, Xellos. Or I'll get Filia to whip out mace-sama," Lina threatened. "I begged L-sama to send me here for a vacation, _not_ one of your games."

Then she and Gourry *cough*heronetrueloveandsoulmate*cough* turned to the stage and yelled, "WAY TO GO, SYLPHIEL!"

Sylphiel blushed. "G-Gourry-sama..." Then she fainted.

"What'm I, chopped liver?" Lina complained.

"Lina, you're on!" Gourry exclaimed as Lillian announced the final match of the day, Lina versus Martina.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm going!" She leaped down from the stands-she had been in the first row-and onto the stage. Upon seeing her opponent, a woman with pale green curly hair, she facepalmed. "Ugh! Not you again!"

"Mua ha ha ha haaa! I shall exact revenge on you in the name of the monstrous Zoamelgustar-sama, Lina Inverse!" Martina cackled.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Lina muttered as she tossed her pokeball into the air. "Go, Hydreigon."

"That's not a common pokemon. How'd she get the feared, destructive 'Brutal Pokemon'?" Brendan wondered.

"Feared? Destructive? Brutal? That fits Lina to a T," Gourry said, nodding.

Ash sweatdropped at the description. "I pity her opponent."

"I summon thee... ZOAMELGUSTAR-SAMA!" Martina bellowed, and a Liepard popped out of the pokeball.

"Hyper beam."

One hit K.O.! "Liepard ("IT'S ZOAMELGUSTAR-SAMA!") is down for the count!" Lillian announced. "The winner is Lina!"

"Victory!" Lina shouted.

"YAY, LINA!" Gourry cheered, clapping.

* * *

><p>"I still haven't gotten my turn to battle yet," Serena sighed.<p>

"Yeah," Marina agreed. "And after all that time we put into your costume. But did you see that Lina girl's outfit? I wonder where she got it! It had a cape and everything! It was soooo awesome!" She continued to jabber about Lina's caped costume, and Serena quietly slipped out into the night. Oh, I skipped lunch and dinner. Oh well.

Anyway, Serena walked off into the neighboring forest when she heard frightened screams. Without thinking, she scurried over to where she heard the noise and then skidded to a halt. There in front of her was a group of baby pokemon huddled together, a Scolipede towering above them. She watched in horror as it advanced on them. "Stop, you big bully!" she yelled. When the large pokemon turned to face her, she took a step back and gulped. "Okay, bad idea," she muttered. "Only way out is... Braixen! I choose you!" The fox-like pokemon popped out of its pokeball. "Flamethrower!" Braixen obliged, shooting a blast of fire at Scolipede, proudly watching as it scuttled off extra crispy. Serena picked up the baby pokemon and began singing softly in an attempt to calm them down. (to the tune of Meloetta's lullaby)

_"I'll sing a lullaby_

_Don't you cry_

_I'll sing for you so close your eyes_

_Rest, quiet now_

_There, you know how_

_Let peaceful sleep claim you now."_ (A/N: To all those who don't like the lyrics: I'm sorry. You should know by now that this kinda stuff isn't my strong suit.)

Serena smiled as the little ones settled down on the springy moss by a tall tree. However, she was more than shocked when she realized she had heard a voice besides her own singing. "Is there anyone out there?" she called.

_'Tee hee! You got me!'_

"Who's there?!" Serena demanded.

_'Oh, no one special. But that was a cute song you sang for those baby pokemon.'_

"Um... This might sound cliched, but that's what my mom would sing to me when I was little."

_'Sometimes simple is best. I noticed that you travel with Ash Ketchum. He is a mutual acquaintance of ours. But I am getting off-topic. There is a strange force at play here. Forgive _this_ cliche-ness, but it brings harm to whomever he loves romantically. It is currently possessing a human nearby.'_

"What? Who?"

_'Who is being possessed or who is he in love with?'_

"Both, I guess."

_'I do not know who is being possessed, nor who he is in love with. However, if he is not in love, you are the most likely target. You are a female who is close to and traveling with Ash- what's more, you do not have any romantical ties to anyone at the moment. There is something I can tell you about the possession, though. The force will possess people with romantical feelings for Ash and make them stronger to the point of obssession. However, its ideal host is someone who is close to Ash- preferably female.'_

Serena paled. "That means me, doesn't it."

_'Yes. But there _is_ something that can protect you. It is a... charm of sorts. I managed to find it after I last parted ways with Ash, and I brought it all the way here with the help of a friend of mine.'_

"So then... I'll be okay?" Serena asked hopefully.

_'Um... yes, but there's a teeny weeny itty bitty miniscule little problem.'_

"What?"

_'Uh... I sorta kinda might have accidentally dropped it.'_

"...Oh."

_'But I know I dropped it over here! I think it fell on a Scolipede...'_

"What?!" Serena abruptly stood. "I think it went that way. Are you coming?" she called over her shoulder to where she assumed the owner of the voice was as she dashed after the deep fried bug-type.

_'I am coming! I am coming!'_

After a half hour trek through the forest, they finally caught up to the Scolipede under a tree where it was nursing its wounds. It flinched upon seeing Serena. "There, there," she coaxed as she walked towards it. "I just need that thing hanging from your horn. C'mon, I won't hurt you. Niiiiice Scolipede, goooood Scolipede..." The pokemon dropped the charm on the ground and scuttled away. Serena picked it up. "So this is the charm?"

It was a beautiful crystal with the faint insignia of a lightning bolt in the middle, and when held up to the moonlight, the small orb sparked. It was attached to a fine silver chain.

_'Yes, it is. That belonged to Delia Ketchum when Ash's father was courting her. None of us could believe it-the heir to the aura was in love with a Team Rocket agent. No one really approved, but she quit Team Rocket, and we gradually came to accept her. Now it has been passed down to you. Guard it well, for it will keep you safe.'_

Serena nodded. "Believe me, I will. I don't want to get possessed like whichever person did..." she shuddered. "But what's this 'heir to the aura' stuff?"

_'Ash Ketchum comes from a long line of aura guardians. All of them had something in common: they each had a strong aura and either a Lucario or a Pikachu as their partner. Sir Arinn protected a kingdom in Hoenn, another of Ash's ancestors defeated an evil spirit called Spiritomb, and there are several other things that his ancestors have done. I will be here to guide you as I guided their loves in the past until we discover the identity of Ash's love. Farewell for now!'_

"Bye!" Serena called. Then she froze. "Come to think of it, where am I...?"

The voice's tinkles of laughter were heard throughout the night as Serena used every bit of Sky Trainer knowledge she had to get Fletchinder to guide her out of the forest.

_'You have chosen a good one, Ash.'_

* * *

><p>Ash meditated in his tent, Pikachu generating electricity to act as a medium. Huh. Who knew Ash could do stuff like this?<p>

_"Are you in love with her?"_

"Yeah, I think so. But I don't want to put her in danger!"

_"Sadly, that is our family curse. We cannot help it. But if she is strong, she shall make it. Besides, we sent her a guardian!"_

"You did?"

_"Yeah. Someone you know. Oh, she just got back!"_

_'Hi, Ash!'_

"Um, hi?"

_'...You don't recognize my voice, do you.'_

"...No."

_'Oh, well. Hi, Pikachu!'_

'Hi!'

_"We are getting off topic here! Anyway, she will guide this girl-"_

"She who?"

_"You shall find out eventually. It is more fun this way! Anyway, if she loves you back, then all will be well. The creature shall _have_ to leave if the two of you admit your love and defeat it. The curse is weakening, Ash, I can feel it. This generation may just be the last to face the curse. Riley and Maylene made it through more easily than expected."_

"But that's just it! I don't know if she loves me!"

_"... ... ...Ash, I just sweatdropped. You are quite possibly the densest heir we have ever seen."_

"Huh? Whaddaya mean?"

_"...Never mind. Anyway, Ash, be careful and protect her however you can! By the way, does anyone know of your feelings for her besides those of us in this tent?"_

"Yeah, Thundra and Melody. Earlier, they took me by surprise, put me in a headlock, and then tried to explain love to me."

_"Oh? How?"_

"They said that love is like how I feel about food, my pokemon, and my friends all rolled together but stronger. What do they think I am stupid?"

_"'Tis best if I do not answer that."_

"Anyway, I accidentally let slip I knew all about it, but then they got this look in their eyes like they just saw something really funny. I don't get it."

_"Yes. Well. Oh,__ the connection is getting staticky. Bye!"_

"Yeah, bye," Ash muttered. He knew he'd never admit his feelings. Not until he was sure she loved him back. He's dense. Then he yawned and conked out. There, see? His serious side is gone! ^w^

* * *

><p>"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"<p>

**'It shall soon be over, brat. I just need a bit of your life force, that is all.'**

"N-No! I-I-I won't give in! You'll hurt him!"

**'Of course I shall, just as his ancestor hurt me by loving another. He should feel the pain of losing his love. I shall do away with the girl and claim him. I was foiled by his ancestors, but this one shall be mine. He is the mirror image of the man I loved, the man who started all of this. My will to win is at its strongest, stronger than it has ever been before. I shall triumph!'**

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

* * *

><p><strong>Petal: And there you have it. I've finally come up with a plot. But should I make this rated T? Or should I keep it K plus? I don't think this classifies as T, but just to be safe...<strong>

**Thundra: Yer so unsure. And why din't I headlock Ashy-boy this chapter, huh?! Look at the summary!**

**Petal: Waaaah~ I'm sorryyyyy~ T^T And what was with the weird look?**

**Thundra: Hm? Oh! Well, me and Melody decided to sit back and see how it all plays out. If my hunch is right, this'll be better than any old soap opera!**

**Petal: You watch soap operas?**

**Thundra: Ma makes Pop and me watch 'em with her.**

**Petal: Oh. *turns to audience* ****Please review!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Petal: And by popular demand, here's the next chapter!**

**Thundra: Oh, please, it was only two.**

**Petal: Three! And I'm proud! I hardly ever get reviews!**

**Thundra: Yeah, yeah, whatever...**

**Reviews:**

**Guest: You asked. You got it. Here's your update.**

**Jimmy12345678: Thanks for saying please! And I hurried as fast as I could!**  
><strong>dragonbolt00: I'm glad you think so! And I want to see how this thing plays out, too!<strong>

**Thundra: You just gave away that you don't have a definite plot.**

**Petal: Quiet, you. There's a mention of Ash's cousins (or rather, who I've decided should be Ash's cousins). Chapter start!**

"Good morning, Ash!" Serena said tiredly.

"Morning," Ash responded with a yawn.

"Why are you so tired?"

"Uh... I couldn't get to sleep last night. What about you?"

"Um... Same."

"So..."

"So..."

Thundra and Melody stared at the two. "They should just admit they love each other and be done with it!" Thundra declared impatiently.

Melody grabbed the binoculars from her. "These things take time, Major Surge. Just sit back and watch it play out."

Thundra snorted. "I still say they're taking too long. Seriously, if they don't get together in two months, I'm calling Calem and Leaf out here to knock some sense into 'im. It should be _them_ doin' this, not me."

Then it was time for the next battles. 'Cause I'm having trouble figuring out a plot aside from how this thing's gonna end.

"The first match is Miette versus Laura!"

The two girls ran onstage. "Go, Slurpuff!" Miette shouted.

"Come on out, Aromatisse!" Laura called.

"Five minutes on the clock! GO!"

"Slurpuff! Moonblast!"

"Dazzle them, Aromatisse! DAZZLING GLEAM!"

Aromatisse glowed and sent bursts of light toward Slurpuff. Slurpuff jumped over the attack and smashed a point-blank Moonblast into Aromatisse's face.

Laura glared at Miette. "Aromatisse! Sweet Scent!"

Miette smirked. "Counter it with your Sweet Scent, Slurpuff!"

Ever heard the saying "Two wrongs make a right"? Well, in this case, it was "Two fragrances make a stench". The overpowering smell the two Pokemon created nearly knocked out their trainers. Both Pokemon realized what was happening and stopped their attack. (A/N: This battle is property of Copper, the male half of pikaree1.)

Laura stood up, panting for breath. "You little witch," she muttered."You'll pay! Aromatisse! HYPER BEAM!"

"You're the one who's gonna pay," Miette wheezed. "Slurpuff! Charge through it with GIGA IMPACT!"

Aromatisse shot its attack, and Laura was positive she had won. When the dust cleared, however, she saw that Slurpuff had run right through her attack. There was no time to give a command. Slurpuff's Giga Impact was a direct hit; Aromatisse never stood a chance.

"The winner is Miette!" Marian announced. "The next match is Georgia versus Burgundy! Begin!"

"Well, well, if it isn't the terrible Pokemon connoiseuess," Georgia smirked as she tossed out her Vanilluxe.

Burgundy saw red. "Samurott! I choose you!"

Before Georgia could attack, Burgundy started her evaluation. "It is evaluation time! Your Vanilluxe-" she pointed an offending finger at the pokemon, "-is terrible! Its ice is not cold enough! It is like black-jelly-bean-flavored ice cream that has been left in a cooler that is not cool enough! The ice has no shine! The snow is sloppy! It is terrible!"

Now it was Georgia who saw red. She could practically hear the absent Iris laughing at her. "You already said that! And your vocabulary still hasn't gotten any better! Vanilluxe, use Icicle Spear!"

"Samurott, cut through it with Razor Shell, then Water Pulse!" Burgundy commanded. (A/N: And this battle belongs to me! So I'm sorry it's not that good!)

Vanilluxe couldn't dodge in time, so the ploy worked. Vanilluxe was confused, and Samurott had emerged unscathed.

Georgia lost points.

"Finish this, Samurott! RAZOR SHELL!"

"Vanilluxe is unable to battle! The winner is Burgundy! The next match is Princess Allie versus Princess Salvia!"

"It's the battle of the princesses!" Dawn exclaimed. "Go, Salvia!"

And since I'm too lazy to ask Copper to write another battle and I can't churn another out either 'cause the first one I did was already bad, I'll leave you with this: Allie's Furfrou versus Salvia's Blissey. Salvia won.

Melody versus Cassie. Corsola versus Ivysaur. Cassie won.

After the day's four battles were over, Serena wanted to make lunch for Ash, but the spirit or whatever it was stopped her.

_'No. Not today. Today we train. Follow me.'_

"But-"

_'Do you wish to be possessed by the evil spirit? She can easily force her host to rip off the protective charm. It shall burn and sting her, but she can do it.'_

"...Okay." What the spirit didn't tell her was that Ash wouldn't be able to attend lunch.

He was training, too.

* * *

><p><em>'Focus, Serena.'<em>

"I'm trying! Ugh, this is the same as when I trained to be a Rhyhorn Racer!"

_'Serena.'_

"Sorry."

The spirit was trying to teach her to use her aura.

_'Serena, everyone has an aura. It's just a matter of if they can be taught and who teaches them. Your aura just happens to be one that adapts easily.' _The spirit kept it a secret that Serena's aura was like that because it had a strong compatibility with Ash's. _'Ready? Try again.'_

"Hurngh..." Serena grunted as she raised her hands, attempting once again to call upon her aura. When she failed again, she sighed, "I just can't do it!"

_'But that's impossible! I saw your aura's strength the night we met, and I know for a fact that it was powerful! But...'_

"But what?"

The voice sighed. _'But it isn't right now. I don't understand. Something's... different.'_

Serena sighed as well. "Nothing we can do about it."

_'I suppose... Wait. I found you when your aura suddenly spiked.'_

"Really?"

_'Yes. Sometimes, certain conditions must be met for the power to work. Delia's was a fierce desire to protect. Perhaps yours is the same...'_

"Maybe," Serena said doubtfully, "but how do we make it work?"

_'Like this.'_

There was a piercing, banshee-like shriek, and a tree was felled. It was headed straight for some innocent Rattata. Never mind that there was a psychic pokemon nearby ready to stop it if they failed. "Braixen, catch it!" Serena yelled as she herself ran towards the tree. They managed to catch it in time, but the spirit let out a frustrated groan.

_'I was wrong. There's got to be something else... I know! Your voice!'_

"My voice?"

_'Yes, your voice! Sing!'_

Serena unsurely sang a nursury rhyme. "Mary had a little Mareep, little Mareep, little Mareep..."

_'I was right! Your aura is in tune with your singing!' _There was a clapping sound. _'Oh, this makes things so much easier! As a singer myself, this will be easy!'_

Serena, slightly confused, said nothing and did as her teacher said.

Training went much more smoothly.

_'This _must_ be the last generation. Her power, the song of the heart, are the same... No. _They_ are the same. My Lord and Lady have come back to us.'_

* * *

><p><em>"No, Ash, that's not it! It's more Oomph, less Ungh!"<em>

"Whaaaaaaat?! I don't get it!"

_"Ugh. Your father was much easier to train. Oh, if only father was here! Out powers originated from his; it would be _easy_ for you to learn if it was him!"_

"Then why doesn't he?!"

_"He disappeared the day you were born."_

"Oh. Why?"

_"Fool! If we knew why, none of our search parties would come back emp- oh. Oh. OH. Oh, dear."_

"What is it?"

_"Nothing... Except I just recieved word on where he went."_

"Where?"

_"I won't tell you. But this explains why you are like you are. Now that I think about it, father was dense, too..."_

"Huh?"

_"Never mind. As I was saying, more OOMPH!"_

It took a while, but he finally mastered Aura Sphere.

* * *

><p>"N...No..."<p>

**'Yes, you mean. The energy generated from the animousity you've worked up under my influence against that Serena brat is quite impressive. I will win this time, do you hear me? I will win, Satoshi, Sarina!'**

* * *

><p><strong>Petal: And that's that. How was it?<strong>

**Thundra: There still aren't enough headlocks. Hasn't been since a few chapters ago.**

**Melody: And I lost!**

**Petal: You were fighting an Ivysaur with a Corsola.**

**Melody: You didn't even write the battle!**

**Petal: Yeah... Uh... Well... Anyway, I'm planning for this story to have seven more chapters.**

**Thundra: *looks at plans* Legend? Huh?**

**Petal: Melody, you explain.**

**Melody: No way. *turns to readers* Review!**


End file.
